


In Another Place, In Another Time

by Eastonia



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: (But nothing from the Doctor unfortunately), (Making this up as I go along), (They are a thing), (kinda), Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Characters to be added, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fixed Points in Time (Doctor Who), Gen, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 17:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18154922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastonia/pseuds/Eastonia
Summary: In one universe, you picked an apple for breakfast. In another, you picked an orange.So what if everything was the same except for one detail?





	In Another Place, In Another Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Namiku Navy](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Namiku+Navy).



 

> "Hey! What are you doing! Take the vessel!"
> 
> "No. The world already has you. There's someone else who needs the replica more. You know who I mean."
> 
> "...Namine. You're saving her."
> 
> The figure smiled as he disintegrated into swirling light and shadows.
> 
> "Look after her, okay?"

* * *

1.Confusion  


The thing about being a 'faker' that has accepted that you are fake, a faithful replica to the end, is that you don't really expect to be _real._

Riku's Replica had been working on this logic for a good couple months now - now - including the time he was stuck in the Realm of Darkness where time was just plain _messed_.

He wasn't real. He wasn't even a Nobody like Roxas, Xion or... Namine.  
_[Namine!]_  
Riku doubled over in pain, clutching his head.  
_[Namine is gone, Kairi is catatonic, Sora won't help, my fault, my fault, my fault... No!]_  
Riku's eyes flew open as he stepped outside his body.  
[His body, my body, what happened, isn't this a replica!?!]

Spread his arms out wide and **screamed** (echoed).

"No! You won't use me for this!"  
He looked up at Kairi, Donald and Goofy.  
_[This has happened before, I've... He's... What's...]_ _  
_ "You've got to run! The Heartless are coming!"

Riku strained against...  
_[Ansem, again? I thought the real me already faced him down!]_  
Ansem - Xehanort's heartless - whoever he is, he looks at Riku Replica’s heartself  
_[Heartself? My heartself? This doesn’t make sense! What is going on?]_  
and grips Riku’s shoulder.

“You, you’ve certainly become an _annoyance,_ haven’t you Riku?”

Probably-Not-Ansem’s-Heartless’ hand tightened painfully  
_[Is it even possible to feel pain if you don’t have a body to feel it with?]_  
on his shoulder. And with a no sign of any effort on Maybe-Ansem’s-Heartless’ part, he

...f.......

                                                                .....e....

                                                   .......l…

.........l.

* * *

2\. Realisation  


This place was all too familiar. And, well in an odd way, it was comforting.

The Realm of Darkness was consistently inconsistent. The lingering, whispering darkness was never constant - and there was comfort in this. There was knowledge in this. And if there was one place Riku’s Replica knew how to navigate, it was...

_[My fault, my fault I shouldn’t have. Sora, Kairi, Namine I’m so sorry.]_

Riku stopped. Sinking down into the ‘ground’ he clutched his head as an insistent throbbing _pushed_ in his mind. This was... These were... And all of a sudden - memories, like a dam that stopped working, like a chain that had been properly re-linked - poured in.

He _was_ Riku. Not in the same way as the Other Him, but still a Riku - just one of many, one of a different sky.

One where Namine was no Nobody.

“Many worlds, but we share the same sky huh Riku?” he chuckled lowly under his breath, “Guess we never thought to account for continuity differences.”

 

_“Riku? I’ll be there soon!”_

“Your Majesty?”

_“Gosh, you know me?”_

 

Riku couldn’t help the disbelieving laugh that burst out of his _[his!]_ heartself.

“Yeah…”

_“Hmm, I’ve been trying to reach you. But the darkness in your heart kept me away… But then your heart overcame the darkness!”_

“So. The door to Darkness will open soon huh?”

_“Right! And we need two keys and two hearts!”_

“Okay then. Your Majesty? Do you have the Keyblade from this side?”

_“Wow Riku, you’re… pretty well informed.”_

 

Riku paused - maybe he was pressing too hard? But, there was just so much he _knew_ already. There was very little the other him didn’t tell, didn’t show, didn’t explain.

 

“No, Your Majesty. I think - this might be my destiny. To come here. To help you. And Sora.”

_“To close the door?”_

“Yes. We’re going to do this. Our journey doesn’t end here. We’re going to help close that Door, get back to the real world - and we’ll go back to the side of our friends!”

 

He could _hear_ the delighted grin in King Mickey’s reply. _“Gee Riku! That’s the spirit!”_

* * *

3\. Responsibility

 

_[Could I?]_

Riku summoned Soul Eater - that one was a given - but then immediately dismissed it before it could properly touch his palm.

_[Could I?]_

 

It hadn’t been that long ago after all. And maybe he was unique among the heartless - his heartself still showed no signs of warping into one of the shadowy little creatures. But that wasn’t the point.

 

_[The Other Me passed on his Keyblade to me. Am I still… Do I…?]_

He breathed (or as close to breathing as one can get without one’s body). And _called_.

 

Way to Dawn materialised in his hand and then fell through. _[Right… No body.]_

He dismissed it as he felt himself _glow_ with the overwhelming sense of relief. He still had it.

 

Maybe, if he never got kicked out of his body. Maybe if he was strong enough to maintain a hold when _[this timelines version of]_ Ansem’ Heartless took over his body, he would have gotten _his_ keyblade much like the other him had gotten it.

 

But that was okay. _[Strength to protect what matters.]_ He was okay. He rushed towards the door to the Realm of Darkness with a slight grin on his face. And as he grew closer and closer to the door, there they were.

 

Heartless in their hordes. Rushing closer and closer to him - like they knew that he was just a heartself and he wasn't one of them - _yet_. He braced himself and pushed and suddenly…

 

Strain.

 

The feeling of a stitch building in his side, the way his breaths were coming in shorter and shorter as he struggled against his body. _[My body! Yes! Sora defeated Ansem's Heartless!]_

Riku flinched. The horde was closing in, and King Mickey was later than he expected. But the doors won't budge if no one is pulling from this side!

 

As he closed in, he could _feel_ Sora's desperation. Riku couldn't let him do this. Sora had not travelled so far just to stop now!

 

He lunged and grabbed the door, pulling it backwards, back into the darkness - “Don't give up!”

 

Somewhere, in the brightness beyond the door Sora's voice came, “Riku?”

 

He grunted with the effort of pulling when no one was pushing the door

“Sora! We do this together!”

Riku could almost feel the delight pouring off his friend.

“Right, okay Riku!”

And the door _moved_..

 

“Yes! There we go… just… a little more!” and then the heartless pounced.

 

Now - if this had been Riku like the other him was Riku, then this would be the point where King Mickey (who finally, finally made it to the Door) would jump in to help. This would be where (according to the other him anyway) someone called Master Aqua would arrive unknowingly to hold back the tide.

 

He was not a replica, and he was a different sort of Riku.

 

He was the Riku that grew up with a boy called Sora and two girls, one named Kairi and the other Namine. He was the Riku that sat and watched a shy blonde girl draw as she sketched. He was the Riku that lost sight of Namine when the Islands fell to darkness. He was the Riku that followed any breadcrumb he could to find his friends as he tried to wake Kairi up.

 

He was the Riku that visited a different timeline.

 

He was the Riku that survived in the Realm of Darkness for months on end - with nothing but his wits, strength and powers over darkness - and no keyblade.

 

He was battle scarred, combat hardened. And when the heartless pounced, while King Mickey was rushing to the Door, Riku turned - Way to Dawn silently summoned to his hand - and struck.

 

He wasn’t the best ‘swordsman’ on the Islands for nothing.

...

First it was one.

Then two.

Then frantically trying to keep up as he blocked, thrust and sliced through the Heartless.

All the while trying his level best to drag the door shut.

Finally, finally came the sweet cry of

“THUNDAGA!”

 

Riku flung himself at the door.

“Your Majesty??” He could hear Donald’s surprised quack.

“Don’t worry! There will always be a door to the light!” said the kind voice that contacted him earlier.

“Sora, do it! You can trust King Mickey!”

 

Riku’s senses told him that more Heartless had arrived. Whatever amount the King had cleared out from the thundaga, more had returned. He shouted “NOW! They’re coming!”. And wrenched it ever more shut bit by bit by…

 

He could see Sora - his Sora, not the boy the other him grew up with but the boy he grew up with (with Kairi and Namine). “Take care of her Sora. And don’t worry - we’ll find Namine.”

 

The door was closed. The King prepared to seal it.

 

Riku charged the Demon Tide.

* * *

* * *

_fin chapter 1._

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on my Tumblr on the 15th of March 2019  
> I completely blame the namiku-navy discord for this alternate!timelines hypothesis and subsequent plotbunny.  
> This is entirely the fault of a debate which occurred speculating whether or not Repliku was his own person or not. My response? Why can't it be both?


End file.
